René Cormier (born April 27, 1956) is a Canadian
Acadian
The Acadians (; , ) are an ethnic group descended from the French who settled in the New France colony of Acadia during the 17th and 18th centuries. Today, most descendants of Acadians live in either the Northern American region of Acadia, ...
artist and activist from
New Brunswick
New Brunswick is a Provinces and Territories of Canada, province of Canada, bordering Quebec to the north, Nova Scotia to the east, the Gulf of Saint Lawrence to the northeast, the Bay of Fundy to the southeast, and the U.S. state of Maine to ...
. He has been a senator from New Brunswick since 2016.
Early life and education
Raised in
Caraquet, New Brunswick, he studied music at the
Université de Montréal
The Université de Montréal (; UdeM; ) is a French-language public research university in Montreal, Quebec, Canada. The university's main campus is located in the Côte-des-Neiges neighborhood of Côte-des-Neiges–Notre-Dame-de-Grâce on M ...
. Following university, Cormier was a musical and theatre director.
Political career
On October 27, 2016, Cormier was named to the
Senate of Canada
The Senate of Canada () is the upper house of the Parliament of Canada. Together with the Monarchy of Canada#Parliament (King-in-Parliament), Crown and the House of Commons of Canada, House of Commons, they compose the Bicameralism, bicameral le ...
by Prime Minister
Justin Trudeau
Justin Pierre James Trudeau (born December 25, 1971) is a Canadian politician who served as the 23rd prime minister of Canada from 2015 to 2025. He led the Liberal Party from 2013 until his resignation in 2025 and was the member of Parliament ...
to sit as an
independent
Independent or Independents may refer to:
Arts, entertainment, and media Artist groups
* Independents (artist group), a group of modernist painters based in Pennsylvania, United States
* Independentes (English: Independents), a Portuguese artist ...
.
Cormier assumed his seat on November 10, 2016.
A
Francophone
The Francophonie or Francophone world is the whole body of people and organisations around the world who use the French language regularly for private or public purposes. The term was coined by Onésime Reclus in 1880 and became important a ...
, he is president of the
''Société Nationale de l'Acadie'' (SNA), the primary organization championing Acadian artists. Following his appointment to the Senate, Cormier stated that he plans to continue with his work with the SNA, while avoiding any conflicts of interest.
[ He formerly served as president for the Commission internationale du theatre francophone, director of the , president of the , and as a member of the board for the Canadian Conference of the Arts.]
Personal life
He is out as gay, and spearheaded the creation of the Canadian Pride Caucus, a non-partisan committee of Canada's LGBTQ MPs and senators.[Dale Smith]
"Queer MPs and senators across the political spectrum come together in Canadian Pride Caucus"
''Xtra!
''Xtra Magazine'' (formerly ''DailyXtra'' and ''Xtra!'') is an LGBTQ-focused digital publication and former print newspaper published by Pink Triangle Press in Toronto, Ontario, Canada. The publication is a continuation of the company's former p ...
'', January 5, 2023.
References
External links
*
1956 births
Acadian people
Artists from New Brunswick
Independent Canadian senators
Living people
Canadian senators from New Brunswick
Canadian theatre directors
Independent Senators Group
Canadian LGBTQ senators
Canadian gay politicians
21st-century Canadian LGBTQ people
Activists from New Brunswick
People from Caraquet
21st-century members of the Senate of Canada
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